2010

College of Southern Nevada superstar Bryce Harper is taken by the Washington Nationals with the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. Harper is the first student-athlete from a two-year school to be drafted with the No. 1 pick.

In one season at Southern Nevada, Harper led the NJCAA with 31 home runs and drove the Coyotes to their second ever NJCAA World Series appearance. Harper earned first-team All-America honors, the Rawlings Big Stick Award and was named the ABCA NJCAA Division I Player of the Year.

Photos courtesy of College of Southern Nevada and the Washington Nationals

2011

Former Jefferson College (Mo.) NJCAA All-American Danielle Adams is named NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player after leading Texas A&M to their first national championship. A few months later, Adams is drafted by the San Antonio Silver Stars and is selected to play in the WNBA All-Star Game.

Playing two seasons for the Jefferson Vikings, Adams earned First-Team All-America honors in both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. In 2009, Adams led the Vikings to a 34-1 record and an appearance in the NJCAA Division I National Championship game. Despite Adams’ 27 point and 12 rebounds, Jefferson fell 78-71 to Central Arizona.

At Texas A&M, head coach Gary Blair developed Adams into a NCAA First-Team All-American by her senior season. Against Notre Dame in the National Championship game, Adams posted 30 points – the second most points scored in NCAA Championship history – and led the Aggies to a 76-70 victory.

Adams was selected by the San Antonio Silver Stars with the 20th overall pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft. In just her third professional game, Adams scored a rookie franchise-record 32 points against the Atlanta Dream. Adams went on to play in the All-Star Game and finished the season averaging 12.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Photos courtesy of Jefferson College, Texas A&M University and WNBA

2012

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, 59 current and former NJCAA student-athletes competed on the world’s biggest stage. In all, NJCAA student-athletes garnered two gold medals, six silver and three bronze.

In the 4x400 meter relay, former Essex County College (N.J.) sprinter Demetrius Pinder assisted the Bahamas team to an upset of the United States for gold. With Pinder running the second leg of the relay, the Bahamas finished with a time of 2:56.72.

One of the most talked about events of the Olympics was the men’s 4x100 meter relay. The United States team that took silver featured three former NJCAA student-athletes in Tyson Gay (Barton CC, Kan.), Trell Kimmons (Hinds CC, Miss.) and Ryan Bailey (Rend Lake College, Ill.). With a national record time of 37.04 seconds, the Americans finished just 0.2 seconds behind gold medalist Jamaica.

Also taking silver in the games were Kenyan Sally Kipyego (South Plains College, Texas) in the women’s 10,000-meter run and Jamaicans Veronica Campbell-Brown (Barton CC) and Kerron Stewart (Essex County) in the women’s 4x100 meter relay. Campbell-Brown also took bronze in the 100-meter dash, joined by former Mohawk Valley CC (N.Y.) sprinter Lalonde Gordon who earned bronze in the men’s 400-meter race and the 4x400 meter relay with Trinidad and Tobago.

AP Photo

2013

Following over seven decades of providing academic and athletic opportunities for two-year student-athletes across the nation, the NJCAA celebrates its 75th anniversary. In commemoration, the NJCAA launches a year-long campaign dedicated to recognizing the milestones, student-athletes, coaches and administrators that helped build the organization into the nation’s leader of two-year collegiate athletics.

At the cornerstone of the scheme is the unveiling of the special 75th anniversary NJCAA logo. Member colleges across the nation participate in the celebration by dawning helmet decals, jersey patches, promotional posters and web banners featuring the graphic. The logo is also utilized on every national championship trophy during the 2012-13 academic year.

In recognition of the individuals and events that shaped the NJCAA into what it is today, the NJCAA Review magazine features 75th anniversary articles chronicling the organization’s history. The feature stories include biographies of the organization’s founders, early struggles, expansion, the creation of the nation’s first women’s division, establishment of championships in Hutchinson and Grand Junction and a look back at the history of the publication itself.

The NJCAA would like to thank all of its member colleges, student-athletes, coaches, administrators, fans and media members for taking time this year to recognize this historic milestone in our association’s history.